Self-Improvement Archives - The Art of Improvement

The Habit Loop: Creating Enduring Success

Imagine this scenario. You’ve just moved house, and for the first time, you’re doing a weekly shop. The route is almost the same – you haven’t moved far in this scenario – but with slight differences. You buy your food and head home. As you drive home, you realise you’re not driving home, you’re driving to your old place. The route shares some similarities. You feel a little silly. Chances are you say to yourself:

Force of habit.

That age-old saying has, well, become a habit for most people. Your brain and body will latch on to routine systems, experiences, and processes in the form of habits, whether you like it or not. Your brain craves routine, so when you provide it with repeated actions, you’ll find yourself latching on – even if you know it might be bad for you.

How To Get Ahead of 99% of People

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to reach exceptional levels of success, even if they seem average in other ways?

Not everyone is born with an innate talent for something, but that doesn’t mean they can’t cultivate skills that can take them to their highest level of achievement.

How to Stop Getting in Your Own Way

“You need to stop getting in your own way.”

How many times have you heard that before? More to the point, how many times have you heard that before and truly understood what it means?

It’s a simple, well-used slice of advice yet its true meaning can feel quite alien. It makes sense, sure, but to embrace its sentiment, you must first dig deeper. Let’s use a real-life, common example.

5 Small Habits That Have a Giant Return on Life

Every day we make choices and have routines and habits that make up our daily lives.

Some habits are clearly better than others.

So, what habits are going to make the biggest difference in your life?

And what can you do that will really impact your overall wellness in the best way?

How to Become an Expert at Self-Control

Have you ever known someone who had an admirable sense of self-control?

No matter what the situation, they always seemed to know what to say or what action to take.

Not having self-control can feel just the opposite. Over indulgence or saying something without thinking inevitably can cause unwanted circumstances. But how do you get to that point of making choices based on intentional words and actions?

What qualities could help you to become an expert at self-control?

How to Stay Motivated

What came first, motivation or momentum? Do you have to be motivated to gain momentum, or does momentum inspire motivation?

Motivation is not an all-encompassing, magical elixir you drink to get you started. It’s organic. To feel motivated, you cannot wait for any feeling to wash over you. All you can do is start.

That, however, is easier said than done. Motivation is a fickle thing. Before you sleep, you might be filled with the desire to improve your life in every single way, but by the time you wake up, that wave of motivation has disappeared into thin air, as if it were never there. Therein lies the problem.

5 Tiny Habits to Master Consistency Effortlessly

Most people will agree that consistency can bring smoother experiences, transitions, and more predictable expectations. On the other hand, being inconsistent can promote confusion, delays and disappointments.

Consistency helps you stay on track toward your goals, and helps to develop discipline and self control. It can lead to increased progress and promote confidence. Through repetitive, sustained efforts, a habit of consistency can take you to a higher level.

Greek Philosopher Aristotle gave us these timeless words of wisdom,

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

So, what can you do to become more consistent in your daily routine? What kinds of actions might help to develop the skills and incentives to become more consistent?

Here are 5 habits you can develop to help master consistency.

5 Common Behaviours That Kill Productivity

Most people want to be productive. We want to do our jobs well and produce quality work. Regardless of the type of work you do, you probably want it to be worth doing. And you want the end result to be a positive accomplishment.

But sometimes it can be hard to be productive. Things can stand in our way and make it difficult to complete, or sometimes even begin, the projects we had planned to do.

How I Learned to Remember Everything

With today’s technology it may seem like we don’t really have to use our memory to remember things. We can just look it up, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, we have a world of information at our fingertips that is easily accessible at any time, day or night. But then there are other things that we want to keep stored in our own memory banks for future or daily use.

When studying school work, learning a new language, taking on a new job or developing a new skill, these things all require memorization. And sometimes it can be a challenge to retain the information you need to know.

Before we had computers to remember everything for us, people memorized all kinds of things. Addresses, phone numbers, poetry, and speeches, just to name a few! Our brain can be trained to hold far more data than we usually ask it to.

How I Make Decisions – The OODA Loop System

The OODA loop model, otherwise known as “the decision cycle” was developed by US Air Force Colonel John Boyd as he sought to help pilots with their decision making process when in air combat.

Although this model won’t turn you into a fighter pilot, the core principles to better decision making are applicable to anyone. Like pilots, people from all backgrounds and cultures will find themselves in pressurised, emotionally dense, serious situations that require precise, meaningful decisions.